Automatc-operated uncoupling apparatus for cars.



J. GERHARDS AUTOMATIC OPERATED UNCOUPLING APPARATUS FOR CARS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 20.- I918- Patented Dec. 17, 1918.

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Witt mm JOSEPH GERHARDS, or MONONGAHELA. PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOI/[ATIC-OPERATED UN COUPLING APPARATUS FOR CARS. I

Application filed March 20. 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH GERHARDs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Monongahela, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic-Operated Uncoupling Apparatus for Cars, of which the following is a specification.

his invention relates to an automatic coupling apparatus for cars and has for its primary object to provide a device of this character capable of automatically releasing the car from the rest of the train when the car leaves the track.

An object of the invention is to provide simple means for coupling the cars together and an automatic device for operating said means when the car leaves the track.

With these and other objects in view the invention will be better understood from the following detailed. description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein;

Figure l is a plan view partly in section of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation.

The invention consists of a tongue I having a tapering end 2 and parallel recesses 3. The end of the beam 4 is open for the purpose of allowing the tongue to enter therein. Supported on opposite sides of the beam 4 are casings 5 of the coupling devices 66. As the construction of each coupling device is identical the following description will be limited to the left hand device in the drawing.

Slidably mounted within the casing 6 is a pin 7 having one end beveled as indicated at 8, so that the tapering end 2 of the tongue will automatically retract the pin when the cars are brought into abutting relation, with a result that when the recess 3 is brought into alinement with the pin the same will enter the recess due to the expansive action of the spring 9 that abuts a collar 10 on the pin and the partition 11 in the casing. The end of the pin 7 is continued exteriorly of the casing and forms into a hand grip 12 so that the pin may be retracted manually. A pivoted lever 13 has a pin and slot connection 14 at one end with the pin 7 while the remaining end has a pivotal connection 15 with a bell crank lever 16 Specification of Letters Patent.

' pivoted to Patented Dec; 17,1918. Serial N 0. 223,602.

a bracket 17 supported by the beam 4. This lever 16 also has a pin and slot connection 17 with a horizontally disposed rod 18 arranged a predetermined distance above the rails 19.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing it will be seen that when the wheels of the car leave the track the rod 18 will engage the tread portion of the rails with the result that the same is moved vertically. This motion of the rod 18 is transmitted to the levers 13 through the bell crank levers 16 with a result that the pins 7 are retracted against the action of the springs 9 for dis engaging the pins from the tongue 1, thereby releasing the car from the car ahead. Thus it will be seen that it will be impossible for a derailed car to drag the remaining cars off the track as my automatic mechanism will immediately operate upon the wheels of the car leaving the track.

It is to be understood that the structural embodiment of the invention as a whole and its various features as shown are merely illustrative and not restrictive, since I am well aware that many of the details of construction can be widely varied without departing from the spirit of the invention. I therefore do not desire to be limited in these particulars or in any others except as set forth in the appended claims.

I further wish to call attention to the fact that the means for manually operating the pins may be constructed of suitably disposed links so that both pins may be operated by a single person on one side of the car. It is also my intention to cover other means of connecting the rod 18 to the pin 7 but as it is my intention to cover the broad idea a detailed description of other constructions will be eliminated.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A coupling apparatus for cars comprising a tongue, spring pressed pins adapted to engage said tongue, and automatic means arranged to engage the track for retracting said pins when the car leaves the track rails.

2. A coupling prising a tongue connected to the apparatus for cars commounted on one car, pms other car for detachable engagement with the tongue, springs for forcing the pins into operative position anti mechanism to engage the road bed for retracting said pins upon a car leaving the track Tails.

3. A coupling apparatus for cars comprising a tongue provided with recesses, slidahiy mounted pins adapted. to engage thecwalls @opies meme? of the recesses, pins, a pivoted acting against the each pin 10 and a rod connecting the pins together and arranged to be opera. the rails upon a car In testimony whei ted by engagement with jumping from the rails. eof I afiix my signature.

JOSEPH ennnnnns.

five cents each, by addressing the Washington, 9. Ga

Commissioner of itetents, 

